Rolex
Founded in 1905 in England by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis as Wilsdorf & Davis, the partnership soon became known as the Rolex Watch Company in 1915, moving to its new Geneva headquarters in 1919. The success of the wristwatch can be largely attributed to many of Rolex’s innovations which made the company one of the most respected and well-known of all luxury brands. These have included its famous “Oyster” case — the world’s first water-resistant and dustproof watch case, invented in 1926 — and its “Perpetual” — the world’s first reliable, self-winding movement for the wristwatch, launched in 1933. These would form the foundation for Rolex’s Datejust and Day-Date, respectively introduced in 1945 and 1956. Also and equally importantly, Rolex is known for its sports watches, such as the Explorer, Submariner and GMT-Master, launched in the mid-1950s.
Description
A simply wonderful early Rolex Precision gentleman’s dress watch. A stunning watch in every regard with a beautiful, original, unrestored dial, wonderful movement and an exceptional 9ct yellow gold case. The dial is particularly unusual and attractive, characterised by a mix of ‘spearhead’ and standard Arabic hour indices on an ivory-cream dial.
This is a very clean and well cared for example which has undergone some very light and sympathetic restoration to bring it back to the almost new condition you see here. The watch also carries a high grade Cal.1200 hand-wound movement, which is in spectacular condition.
Note – At 31mm this watch would originally have been marketed as a gentlemans watch, as during the 1950s, gentlemans watches tended to be much smaller. Today however, the fashion is for gents to wear much larger watches and for ladies to wear this kind of watch. Therefore this could be considered suitable for both.
The Dial
Classic Rolex simplicity and typical of the 1950s and ’60s. Beautifully balanced and symmetrical and complemented with a subsidiary seconds dial at ‘6’. The original unrestored ‘Lance’ hands are in remarkable condition and are paired with ‘spearhead’ hour indices and standard Arabic numerals at ‘3 – 6 – 9 – 12’.
The dial is correctly signed and branded with the Rolex Coronet at 12, along with ‘Rolex’ and ‘Precision’ below, with Swiss at the very bottom.
This dial is original and unrestored and has been left untouched by our restoration team due to its superb condition. Usually, we restore the dials of the watches we sell, however we decided in this case to leave it alone, due to its unusually good condition and to retain its originality and charm for those who prefer this. It also helps to contrast with almost all of the other watch dials you see on our website, which have been restored. The hands, likewise, have also been left in their original untouched condition.
Please note, studio lights, professional-grade digital cameras, and macro lenses can be very unkind to an unrestored vintage watch dial. Also the dial here measures less than 1.25 inches across, so the image you’re seeing may be between 5 – 25 times larger than the watch itself. Therefore please keep in mind you are seeing many tiny flaws which cannot be seen, or will be very hard to see with the naked eye, even under close examination. Suffice to say, on the wrist, in natural light, this dial looks much better and carries a great deal more charm than the photographs portray.
The Movement
The high grade Cal.1200 manual wind movement is incredibly clean and also in incredibly good condition. It has just been overhauled and serviced by our expert watchmaker and is running perfectly. These movements are very highly regarded for their accuracy and reliability and this movement has been calibrated to run arrow straight within +10 seconds per day, checked and confirmed on our electronic watch timer. This is excellent for any watch of this age and the movement also has a really excellent 58-hour power reserve when fully wound.
The movement is signed ‘Montres Rolex SA Geneva Swiss’ and ’17 Jewels’ with the calibre number 1200.
This particular movement is in superb condition and with regular servicing, we would fully expect this watch to run quite happily for many more decades to come. We are therefore very confident in offering this watch with a 12-month written warranty*.
*Please note – our 12 months’ warranty is only included if the list price is paid.
The Case
The 9ct yellow gold case is in excellent condition, having been very well cared for, and shows only the faintest signs of wear visible to the naked eye. The full thickness press-fit case-back clicks securely into place just as it should and is of full thickness, having never been inscribed.
The case measures 31mm in diameter, excluding the correct Rolex signed crown. As mentioned above, this was a typical gent’s sized watch during the mid-century but could be considered equally suitable as a ladies watch today.
This is a Dennison made case and therefore is signed ‘Rolex Made in England’ and A.L.D. which was the Dennison manufacturers stamp. The case also carries the reference number 12868, the serial number 978620 and Birmingham 9ct hallmarks which date this watch to 1959. The case, case-back and bezel are all in superb condition with no marks or scratches visible to the naked eye. The watch case has been exceptionally well cared for and so the case has simply required a clean and gentle polish to bring it back to its current ‘like new’ condition.
As ever, our standard advice applies: vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.
The Strap and Buckle
The watch is fitted with a genuine Rolex black leather strap and a Rolex gold-plated buckle, which we feel suits the watch perfectly. If, however, a different colour or style of strap is preferred, please let us know and we will do our best to oblige, free of charge. We carry tan, conker, dark brown burgundy and black straps in stock, in plain, padded leather, alligator, crocodile or lizard skin.
The Box and Papers
Although there are no original papers with the watch, the numbers and markings are all correct, dating this watch to 1959.
Detailed particulars will be included with our purchase receipt for your interest and security. A separate insurance valuation for the replacement value of this watch will be provided at the time of sale along with our unique ‘Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee’ which states: “If this watch proves to be anything less than 100% genuine, authentic and original, a full refund will be given at any time”.
The watch comes complete with a Rolex presentation box, as shown in the photographs.
Payment and Delivery
If you would like to pay by bank transfer, we will be pleased to assist you with this. Similarly, if you wish to pay by International SWIFT or Bank Wire Transfer we will provide you with our BIC / Swift number and our IBAN number.
Please check the import duties and any taxes your government may apply, these are different for each country and, unfortunately, out of our control.
We understand there may be some ‘loopholes’ that may help you avoid these charges; however, attempting to use these could impact our ongoing ability to serve our growing international customer base.
For those who happen to visit London on occasion, we are, of course, more than happy to store your watch until we can meet you in our offices in Kensington, London, and hand your watch directly to you there.
As with all our watches, this watch will be sold under our 14 days no-quibble sale or return policy.
In Conclusion
This is a truly first class example of a 1950s vintage Rolex Precision which is ready to wear and completely practical for everyday use. If treated with care, it will make an excellent investment or heirloom piece and even though vintage gold Rolex prices have risen markedly recently, we still feel good examples such as this are still undervalued. As each year goes by and the world market for vintage gold Rolex watches continues to expand, prices will continue to climb ever higher.
A word on our prices – We always try our hardest to acquire the very highest quality watches we can find, before restoring them to the highest possible standards. We then offer these at the fairest prices we can, taking into account our pre and post-sales care and service. This approach means we will never be the cheapest, but nor will we be the most expensive. Indeed there are some well-known stores in West London which are highly successful charging between two to three times the price you see here. We, therefore, consider our prices to be fair, given the quality of watches we have to offer.
Please note, we also welcome part exchanges. If you have a watch or a small collection for sale, please contact us as we will be happy to discuss this.
We will also be happy to Service your watch, Repair your watch or Restore your watch, all at ‘sensible’ prices. Please see here.
If you have any questions please call us on 020 7727 7095 or if calling from overseas on +44 207 727 7095.
Please take a look at our other fine vintage gold watches.
Thank you.
Andrew M via feefo 
3rd December 2024 
JLC1891 
